Deaft connection foe cab



Aug.. 1, 192s.

H. H. WOLFE DRAFT CONNECTION FOR CAR ,COUPLINGS Filed Feb. 10, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet (nl ...llIl

Angl 7, 1928.

H. H. yWOLFE DRAFT CONNECTION FOR CAR COUPLINGS Filed Feb. l0, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 7, 1928.

UNITED `STATES PATENT OFFICE.

`HARRY H. .WOLFIL OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BUGKEYE STEELYCASTINGS l COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

DRAFT CONNECTION FOR CAR COUILINGS.

Application filed February 10, 1927.

` of the normal line of draft.

`In order to apply manytypes of transition devices to an automaticcoupling, 1t is desirable and necessary to offset the connection of thetransition devices toward the guard arm of the coupling so as t0 clearthe knuckle, leaving the operating parts of the coupling undisturbed.

The present invention contemplates flat Abearings for the key whichconnects the said two bearing faces for the key being, in

effect, continuations of each other so that a rolling action of thedraw-bar will take place when the draw head and its bai' or shank ai'eshifted laterally toward oi' from their normal line of draft, and sothat practically the same amount of bearing for pulling will be affordedin either position in Which the draw head and its shank or drawbar maybe disposed, as is provided in the key slot reinforcement heretoforeemployed.

4In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of an automaticcoupling illustrating an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 a side view; Figure 3 is an end View; i Figure t is an enlargedview partly in `plan showing the draft and end sills of a car partly inhorizontal section, showing the lateral position of the coupling headand shank, and

Figure 5 .is a View of the structure shown in Figure 4 partly in sideelevation and partly in vertical section, and the draw-bar omitted.

The draft sills of a car are indicated at l, 1 and the end sill at 2;the latter being provided with an opening 3, reinforced as at 4L SerialNo. 167,262.

to accommodate the shank or draw-bar 5 of a draw head 5a of an automaticcoupling. The draw-har enters a draft yoke 6 and the latter may haveconnection with the draft sills in any approved manner. The shank ordraw-bar 5 of the automatic coupling is connected with the yoke by meansof a horizontally disposed key 7 (preferably elongated in cross section)the yoke being provided at respective sides of its nose` with slots Sand the coupling shank or draw-bar with a slot 9 for the accommodationof said key, and suitable means, as at l0, may be provided to preventdisplacement of the/key.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the drawings, thecoupling head 5 is provided in .its guard arm side with a recess l1 openat its front end and at its bottoni for the accommodation of transitioncoupling devices for connecting the automatic coupling with ahook-coupling. Any suitable form of transition connecting or couplingdevices may be employed and in Figure l of the drawings, one link 12 ofsuch devices is shown as being secured in the rear portion of the recess11 by means of a pin 13, the latter being held against displacement bymeans of a key or rivet at 14.

During normal operation, when two automatic couplings are coupled, theline of draft will be through the longitudinal center of the draw-bai',but when an automatic coupling is connected with a. hook couplingthrough the medium of devices connected with the automatic coupling atone side of the normal central draft line, the head and shank of theautomatic coupling will swing laterally, so that a different line ofdraft will be pro'\f*ided. ln order that a fiat and adequate key bearingin the draw-bar shall be provided in either position which the automaticcoupling and its draw-bar shall assume and in order that the same mayhave easy rolling movement from one position to the other, theconstruction of the slot 9 in the shank or draw-bar is as will bepresently explained.

lVhen the automatic coupling assumes the position shown in Figure l, aswhen two automatic couplings are coupled, the pull or line of draft willbe along the line m-a2, but when the automatic coupling is connected,through transition devices, with a hook coupling, the pull or line ofdraft will be CIK along the line y-y In order that a flat bearing forthe key 7 at the rear end of the slot 9 shall be insured in eitherposition of the automatic coupling, that portion of 'the rear end wallof the slot 9 represented by the line ai is made perpendicular to theline .i2-fe and the line is inade perpendicular to the line y-y. Thelines a and b are connected by arc c so that the coupling will move intoits proper alinenient with a sort of rolling action.

If desired the front end of the key slot 9 may have the saine forniasthe rear end, but of course the lines and. l) will be re versed inposition, or the front end wall of the slot inight be straight withoutaffecting the operation of the :improvements herein disclosed, it beingunderstood that the length of the key slot is such to permit shiftingfrom the bearing line a to the bearing line at the rear end of the slot.

It will be observed that in Figure e of the drawings, :is shown theposition of the coupling shank or draw-bar, the key and yoke when thepull or draft is transmitted through the oflcenter transition device,the pull being transmitted along the line y-y which coincides with thecenter line of the car.

In d awings I have shown the commonly used cast steel draft yoke ofvertical plane type"7 but it will readily be understood by thosefamiliar' with this art that any other type of draft yokes such ashorizontal plane, and others with sideineinl'iers carrying slots fortransvmse key, could. be applicable and it is understood therefore, I donot liinit iny claiins in any way to the particular forni of draft yokeshown in drawings.

Ilaviiig fully described iny invention what I claiin as new and desireto secure by Ilettersl'al ent, is

l. In draft ineens for railway cars, the combination with a (lraft yokeadapted to receive a transverse key, of a draw-bar having a key slot, akey passing transversely through the yoke and through the slot in thedraw-bar, the rear end wall of said slot providing two pulling faces forthe key, dsposml at an angle to each other.

2. In draft means for railway cars, the combination with a draft yoke:ulapted to receive a transverse key, of a draw-bar having a key slot, akey passing transversely throlflgh the yoke and through the slot in thedraw bar, the rear end wall of said slot providing two lflatapproximately contiguous pulling fat-,cs for the ke said pulling facesbeing disposed at an angle to each other.

3. In draft means for railway cars, the combination with a draft yokeadapted to receive a transverse key,l of a drawbar having a key slot, akey passing transversely through the yoke and through the slot in thedraw bar, said slot providing bearing faces for the key, said bearingfaces being disposed at an angle to each other', one of said bearingfaces being perpendicular to a line passing through the longitudinalcenter of the drawbar, and the other bearing face being perpendicular toAa line extending laterally and forwardly from said longitudinal centerof the draw-bar.

t. In draft devices for railway cars, the combination with a draftnieniber adapted to receive a transverse key, of a draw head having apoint of attachment for transition devices at one side of the normaldraft line of the draw-head, a shank or draw-bar projecting rearwardlyfrom said draw head and having a key slot, a key passing through saiddraft nieinber and the keyvslot in the draw-bar, an end wall of saidslot providing two bearing faces for the key, one of said bearing facesbeing perpendicular to the longitudinal center line of the draw-bar andthe other bearing face being perpendicular to a lino passing the pointof connection of the transition devices with the draw-head andintersecting the longitudinal center line of the draw-bar in rear ,ofthe slot in the latter.

5. In draft devices for railway cars, the combination with a draftineniber adapted to receive a transverse key, of a draw-head having apoint of attachment for transition devices at one side of ther normaldraft line of the draw-head, a shank or draw-bar projecting rearwardlyfroin said draw-head and having a key slot, a key passing through saiddraft ineniber and the key-slot in the draw bar, each end wall of saidslot providing two bearing faces for the key, one of said bearing facesat cach end of the slot being perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline of the draw bar and the other bearing face at each end of the slotbeing perpendicular to a line passing the point of connection of thetransition devicesiwith the drawhead and intersecting the longitudinalcenter .line of the draw-bar in rear of the slot in the latter. n

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

HARRY I-I. VVLFE.

